Prayer request

Please kindly pray for Hannah Cabrini, our daughter, who is scheduled to be confirmed at the Cathedral this Sunday, June 4, at the Mass of the Holy Spirit. She has chosen the Confirmation name of "Perpetua."

John Vennari undergoes cancer surgery

Here is a note he wrote recently:

This is a note to tell my friends that I have to go into surgery on Saturday morning, November 26.

Cancer is a nasty beast, and it has caused an obstruction in the GI that must be addressed immediately. Immediately.

As noted already, my case has been serious from the start, and this latest problem came to a head at the same time I returned from three weeks of cancer treatment in Mexico.

I am presently not able to update my CFN webpage (I write this note from the hospital). I was blessed to receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction this afternoon.

Please feel free to forward and/or post this, along with the link below that provides background and info for those who wish to share prayerful and financial support. http://www.oltyn.org/vennari.htm

Thank you for all your prayers and support up until now. Please pray and ask others to pray, especially communities of religious and convents of nuns.

Am I am a little afraid of surgery? Who wouldn’t be? But I place my trust in Our and Our Lady, and take heart from all the kindness and concern I’ve received. Your outpouring of love has been astounding.

I may not be able to update for a few days.

Thank you.

John Vennari

[Hat tip to L.V.]

Tonya car troubles ...

Tonya contacted me yesterda to say that the engine light just came on in her 'new' car, an old Mercury Sable with a recent transmission replacement. The car was checked out by several of us and seemed to be in pretty good condition -- beautiful, clean, with all the work repair records in good order. Request: please play that whatever is behind this engine light going on may not be a serious issue.

One more day! Fund raiser at $3,427.65!!

Hello folks. No we haven't forgotten. Here we are on the penultimate eve of the presidential election and the eve of our fund raiser's concluding day: Monday, Nov. 7th.

We just want you to know how GENEROUS you have all been! We have now reached $3,427.65!!! This is impressive! Thank you!!

At the end of the day tomorrow, I will tally up any more donations that have come in and go to the bank and have a certified check cut for the total amount. The following day I will give the check to the lady we've all been praying for and desiring to help. I can't wait!

For anyone still wishing to donate. There's still time. Even checks can be processed after-the-fact as long as you tell me in advance how much you're pledging by emailing me at blosser.philip@shms.edu. I will in turn let you know where to send your check.

Please note that when you click on the 'Donate' button, you will be re-directed to a page that says "Donate to Academy Press" (either by Paypal or credit card). 'Academy Press' is the name of the account which we're using to process donations for Tonya, the single-mother who needs a reliable automobile to get to work.

Thank you for your generosity!!

Thank you! Fundraiser tops goal at $3,015.54

My friends,

How can I thank you! You've exceeded our expectations with a spate of generous donations today! Thank you, Dr. Janet Smith! Thank you Mr. Henry Kuhlman! And a hearty thank you also to our friends with fellow-children at Spiritus Sanctus Academy: Mr. Philip Pucillo, Mr. Guy Winter, Mrs. Maisa Haddad, and from a bit earlier, Tim and Karla Dorweiler, Mrs. Teresa Grindlay, James and Beth Ann Putlock!! And thanks also to our college-era friend Dan Clark from Iowa, who may disagree with our politics but has a heart of gold!

We set out two weeks ago with a goal of $3000.00 not knowing what to expect, but trusting that we were doing the right thing. We knew someone in need, and I was convinced we had the means and willing hearts to do so. Again, I am humbled by your willingness to help a complete stranger based on your trust in me and my report about our friend, Tonya, the woman and sister-in-Christ we're trying to help. I am awed by your generosity in a time when a lot of us are tightening our belts with tuition costs and mortgages, and when our nation is consumed with daily unsettling news from the political and ecclesiastical fronts.

We've also received several leads on places to possibly look for a reasonably priced yet reliable used car for Tonya. Thank you for those leads, Monica Miller, Teresa Grindlay, and Heidi Bratton!

Thank you all sincerely for your willingness to reach out and help this lady. I will keep you posted on developments: when we present our cashier's check to Tonya, when she gets her car, etc.

In the meantime, we will gladly continue accepting donations up through Monday of next week, the day before our national election! Just five more days. We will also gladly accept prayers for Tonya and her family (and her prospective car purchase!!), as well as any further leads or suggestions about possible places to look for automobiles (we want to consider all options)!

Thanks again!! You are all wonderful!! In a time full of depressing and disturbing news, it's wonderful to be reminded of the existence of so many good people in our lives -- people such as yourselves. May the Lord bless you abundantly!

If you would still like to donate, it's not too late; and you can be sure your donation will be put to good use getting Tonya a yet more dependable car to drive to work. You may send a check by emailing me at blosser.philip@shms.edu for instructions. Alternately, you may use the online 'Donate' button below to contribute with a credit card or by means of Paypal online.

Also, please note that when you click on the 'Donate' button, you will be re-directed to a page that says "Donate to Academy Press" (either by Paypal or credit card). 'Academy Press' is the name of the account which we're using to process donations for Tonya.

Thank you for your generosity!!

Wow!!! Announcement: Fundraiser at $2,566.67!!

Dear friends, I want to thank you profoundly for your generosity towards the African-American single-mom we are trying to help purchase a reliable used car to get to work. You have been most thoughtful. You know who you are.

I want to especially thank the anonymous donation today from a kind soul who just came forward with a gift of $1000.00 toward the cause. This has put us well over the $2,000.00 mark toward the $3,000 we initially set as our fundraiser goal. THANK YOU ... ALL of you!!! You have also been eminently patient with these constant reminders I have been posting, incessantly banging on your doors, so to speak, asking for help for this lady. I know. I know. It's a drag. I hate fund raisers on my classical music station. I rarely donate to causes online or on the air unless they're causes I truly believe in. I just did make a donation today to an unrelated worthy cause online; but that's rare. I make a point of giving a tenth to my parish, which I don't consider charity but a joyful obligation; and anything beyond that is charity.

How about you? What do you consider a cause sufficiently worthy of your generous charity? Evidently one anonymous and very generous soul thought our cause (helping out Tonya) was sufficiently worthy to send in $1,000.00. Do I think this person was rich? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if the answer was no. As a Knight of Columbus, I've had the chance to watch who gives and who doesn't as I stand outside Walmarts handing out Tootsie Rolls in exchange for donations to help the mentally retarded or the otherwise disabled. Those who give most often are are not the ones who are parking expensive SUVs and coming in and out. Typical is the Mexican family that walks by and sends one of their little sons up with a dollar bill as they all stand smiling and waving from a distance. Those coming and going from their shiny new SUVs hardly notice I'm there. So it wouldn't surprise me if those of you who have given did so at some expense, some sacrifice. It's in the nature of things. God sees that, and He's honored by it. He says as much in 'The Good Book.'

In just SEVEN MORE DAYS this fund-raiser will be closing down and saying thank you, and goodbye. Now is your opportunity to give to THIS lady. In seven more days that opportunity will be gone. There will be other opportunities for charity, doubtless; but not for this lady. Ask the Lord what He thinks you should do. I'm not the one asking for myself here. I'm asking on behalf of this lady that you consider what the Lord would have you do. No pressure from me. None. If I know you, I'll continue to like you just as much whether you give anything or not. This is between you and the Lord. Seriously.

If you can, consider making a generous gift for this lady. Does she not need reliable transportation to work? Isn't she already working at the only job she has managed to find? Do we not have SOME means of helping her out? How much money do we easily part with at a shopping center, at a coffee shop, at a restaurant, without batting an eyelash? Do we miss that money when it's gone? Is this lady's need less important than the things on which we daily spend money? Think about it.

About every three months I end up hauling bagfuls of STUFF to Goodwill or Salvation Army to get rid of things, things, and more things that have been given to us a gifts or which we've acquired one way or other -- clothes we no longer wear, stuffed animals, the kind of STUFF that ends up in Goodwill or Salvation Army! Where does all this STUFF come from? Do we need it? No. And even when it comes to the things we need, do we really need the most expensive and fashionable name BRAND^[TM]? You hear what I'm saying? I'm sure you do.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

If you can't give money, please pray for Tonya and her two boys, and pray for the success of our fund-raiser, so that we can help her get a reliable car in November. She wouldn't admit it, but I know she depends on our success.

Also, if any of you know of someone who might have a used car in decent condition which they would be willing to sell at a discount, please let us know.

If you can give money, you may send a check by emailing me at blosser.philip@shms.edu for instructions. Alternately, you may use the online 'Donate' button below to contribute with a credit card or by means of Paypal online.

Also, please note that when you click on the 'Donate' button, you will be re-directed to a page that says "Donate to Academy Press" (either by Paypal or credit card). 'Academy Press' is the name of the account which we're using to process donations for Tonya.

Thank you for your generosity!!

Eleven more days! Fundraiser at $1313.00 and counting ...

A few more donations have come in over the last couple of days: one online donation from a generous lady in Chatham, Ontario, and two checks from families in Canton, Michigan, and Hickory, North Carolina. THANK YOU to all of our generous benefactors! (For those of you who don't know, we're raising money to help an African-American single mother who needs to get a car within a matter of weeks in order to keep her job.)

If you haven't recently enjoyed the gift of giving, here's a marvellous opportunity coming your way for only a little longer. Eleven more days and your opportunity to give will have come and gone.

The way I see it, the Lord gives us opportunities to respond with generous hearts. In and around Detroit, we see many individuals holding signs asking for help at traffic interchanges. It's often inconvenient to try to give under those circumstances. And sometimes we may not trust those soliciting. Like yesterday when I gave $20 to a man in a shopping center parking lot who claimed he was a hurricane victim from Florida. I wasn't sure he was trustworthy, but I gave anyway. We need to be prudent, but we also know the Lord wants us to be charitable. Proverbs 21:13 says: "Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need."

If you can't give financially, please pray for the success of this fund-raiser. At least a Hail Mary. That's not hard and takes less than a minute. Pray, too, for this hard-working lady, this single mother of two. She's done many things for others in her turn that has gone unnoticed by those around her. She's a sister-in-Christ. If you are able to give something financially and believe the Lord is calling you to give, please give generously. Every donation helps. It all adds up.

A recent donor, concerned that our collective contribution won't be enough to help this woman buy reliable transportion, posted this colorful comment:

As a contributor and as someone who has had experience with $3000 cars and the scumbags who exploit the poorest among us by selling them crap cleaned up just well enough to get past the lemon law limit, let me say one thing we all know but maybe don't want to face: $3000 just isn't going to cut it. Not even close. Let's face facts, folks: that amount of money hasn't got anyone a quality motor vehicle since Richard Nixon was president.... C'mon folks, dig a little deeper!"

Think of it this way: when you give, you receive. You know this is true. We receive a profound spiritual blessing when we help others. So be 'greedy' for blessings and give generously! Seriously!

If you wish to send a check instead of giving online, please email me atblosser.philip@shms.edu for instructions.

Also, please note that when you click on the 'Donate' button, you will be re-directed to a page that says "Donate to Academy Press" (either by Paypal or credit card). 'Academy Press' is the name of the account which we're using to process donations for Tonya.

Thank you for your generosity!!

Poor black single-mom, a baptized sister in Christ, needs money to buy car to get to work

A good friend of our family (let's call her Tonya), an African-American single mother of two, could easily have gone on welfare. But she was raised under an old-fashioned work ethic and prefers to earn her keep by working at a paying job, such as it is (only part time now). It's the way she chooses to pay the bills and keep body and soul together, God bless her. Those are the same hard-work values she's been teaching her own children.

The trouble is, when you're as far from the celebrated top 1% (super-rich) as she is, it's hard. She's had a number of cars by which she has been getting to and from work, but they keep dying on her. To be honest, when she buys her cars they're usually already on their last legs, so to speak.

For a upwards of a year she's had to depend on someone else to drive her to work, but that option is about to come to an end and she needs to buy a car. In three or four weeks. No bus route is feasible for where she needs to go.

So I'm going out on a limb here and asking for donations. I say "going out on a limb" because I'm not in a position to give you more detailed information about her than I'm providing on this page. Why? It wouldn't be fair to her.

I first tried using a fund-raising website called GoFundMe, but like other sites, they charge a percentage fee and require a photo of the person(s) you're trying to help. But understandably, Tonya doesn't want her picture online. There's just no way. Not going to happen. It would be too embarrassing, she says.

So here's the deal. If our fund-raising drive is successful, and I plan to donate generously myself, what I will do is try to get a photo of Tonya standing beside her new pre-owned vehicle, once she gets it, and then post that online with her thanks.

And as an alternative to a website like GoFundMe, I've decided to use Paypal as the vehicle for soliciting donations (see the 'Donate' button below), which should give you the usual options by which to donate via Paypal -- using credit cards if you don't have a Paypal account.

I set up this Paypal account under the name of 'Academy Press' back when I was involved in a small publishing business on the side in North Carolina, so that's the name you'll most likely see when redirected to the payment page, in addition to my own name (Philip Blosser), depending on whether you pay by Paypal or Credit Card.

We aren't a tax exempt organization, so I'm afraid your donations are not tax deductible, though I can provide you with a receipt if you provide me with your email address.

As another option, if you'd prefer to send a check, please email me [LINK] and I can send you my mailing address. Just put in the SUBJECT LINE of your email the following: 'CAR FUND-RAISER CHARITY.'

This is a limited-time fund-raiser (probably no more than three weeks). And may God bless you as you bless this sister, a sister in Christ, in her need. I will not be taking a percentage of the donations as GoFundMe would. I will forward 100% of what I receive to Tonya with no strings attached.

Please give generously.

If you cannot give money, please pray for the success of this fund-raiser; and pray for Tonya and her family.
Thank you!!

Fr. Perrone on the real prospect of serious persecution, and a petition to invoke Mother Teresa's intercession for the coming election

Fr. Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" [temporary link] (Assumption Grotto News, August 28, 2-16) [emphasis added]:

In the past several years a great deal has been written about the English martyrs during the time of the Protestant takeover in the sixteenth century. The reason for this abundant writing, I opine, is the ominous expectation of how things may well come about in the USA should a reign of terror descend upon the Church. We have been getting signals to help prepare us for such an eventuality for sometime now, in learning that our religious freedoms are in a threatened state. The upcoming presidential election will play a significant if not decisive role in the outcome of the social, moral and religious life of our citizens.

As many of you know, the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta is immanent. The soon-to-be-saint was often present in our country for various purposes. I will recall the reception of Mother when she founded the community of her sisters in Detroit. There was a lot of media hullabaloo at the time which, as the saying goes, rolled easily over Mother's back. She who could not help being made noticed for her humble service (the inherent irony of humility) would hardly have been impressed by the presence of the press and TV cameras. Her firm aim in establishing the community of her sisters here was thereby to mediate the presence of the compassionate Christ thirsting for the souls of the indigent and wretched underclass people in the city of Detroit.

The process of canonization is ordinarily a rather protracted one due to the complexity of gathering testimony about the proposed subject's life, the examination of all pertinent writings and correspondences, and the attendant ecclesiastical business of which I know not a single thing. Exceptions to the prolonged procedure are rare. The canonization of St. Pope John Paul II is the outstanding recent example of this, and one is soon to follow in the case of Mother Teresa. But my reason for writing about Mother's soon-to-be-realized sainthood has to do with an idea I have had.

I am inviting all of you to say a prayer to Mother Teresa every day from now until election time to beg her to intercede for the good outcome of the November election. So much is at stake for our country, for our Catholic Church, and indeed for the whole world, that it cannot be understated. Would not she who showed such compassion for the spiritual and physical welfare of so many not willingly respond to the prayers of some devout souls who beseech her on behalf of the people of the United States? A simple daily formula might take the form of three Hail Mary's (or three Memorares) with an invocation to Blessed Mother Teresa to intercede for the welfare of our country in the November elections. (Other formulas would be as good. It's not a matter of hitting upon a magical formula but of the sincerity and fervor of the one praying.)

Many of you are justly worried over the possible course of things to come. I have repeatedly asked you to stay after Mass for the daily rosary to pray "for God's mercy on our country." I know many of you pray the rosary elsewhere privately, but this communal rosary (for which a plenary indulgence may be gained) is a special uniited parish effort for Our Blessed Mother to plead our case. If you love your country, your freedoms, righteousness, and your Catholic faith, you ought not lightly to excuse yourself from the rosary and from the aforementioned prayer to Mother Teresa. As I said in a recent homily, should the dread things every come to pass it will then be too late to change course without untold sufferings (cf. the English martyrs at the time of the Reformation). In such case, what will you who have excused yourselves from these prayers say?

Yes, I'm putting moral pressure on you to pray. We have thus far lost the battle (to be unisex bathrooms and ... who can say what? I guess legal prostitution, the right to public nudity and coition, and the suppression of at least some part of Catholic faith and practice.) You may scoff at these speculations as being over-drawn, but I ask you to consider where we were only a few decades ago, how things stand now, and what's being proposed now, openly.

Kindly make for yourselves a little prayer sheet to remind you daily to offer prayer to Mother Teresa for the above-stated intention and to be faithful to the daily rosary, especially in church with your priests and your Catholic fellows.

John Vennari: stage 4 cancer, refuses chemo, requests prayer

He reports HERE that he is in good spirits, his family is making a novena to both Our Lady of Good Success and Saint Philomena, and he asks for prayer.

Answered prayer

On January 9th of this year, I requested urgent prayer for Julia, who, after nearly a lifetime of surgeries, was facing yet another, due to insufferable pain from sharp bone spurs and broken bones in her neck and shoulder, due to a degenerative condition.

Julia had her surgery about a week ago, and was in severe pain following the surgery, which was worsened by a bad fall after she was returned to her room in the nursing home where she lives. She was sent back to the hospital and the ordeal continued.

As of yesterday, however, she is completely pain free. I just checked with her again and heard that she is doing fine. I'm not sure what the condition of her degenerative bone disease is at present; but the important thing is that she is pain free and feeling gloriously happy.

This is what I asked you to pray for, and this prayer was answered. Of your kindness, if you're willing, please continue to remember her in your prayers for the life ahead of her. It's marvellous to see how God answers prayers when many join in intercessory prayers as you have. Thank you.

Answer to prayer

Last October I solicited prayer for a fellow parishioner named Mike who had undergone a heart transplant operation in July of last year (see "Prayer requests," Musings, October 1, 2015). At the time, Mike was battling infection from a respiratory virus that pushed his condition back to the critical brink where some worried we might lose him.

Thanks to your prayers, and those of many others, I am happy to announce that Mike has sufficiently recovered to return home this week and has been reunited with his long-suffering wife. Upwards of half-a-year is a long time to spend on your back in a hospital. Mike's muscles were so atrophied that it took months just for him to be able to hold a book in his hands, much less get out of bed and stand.

Please stop to offer a word of thanksgiving to God for answered prayer. I'm sure he and his wife couldn't be happier than to be reunited at home again. And, thank you, again, for your intercessions.

Urgent prayer request

A very good family friend, named Julia, who has suffered all her life from a degenerative bone disease, is scheduled to have yet another surgery in a few days (she has had numerous surgeries throughout her life).  The bones in her neck and back have developed sharp spurs where they have broken, which make turning her head or turning over while sleeping excruciating.  She says the pain is so overwhelming she literally feels like she is dying.

Please pray for Julia.  She is a wonderful, strong woman, who trusts completely in our heavenly Father; but she has suffered immensely.  She also has had a stroke that left part of her face paralyzed. Even so, she has a beautiful disposition and often endeavors to find humor in her sad situation.  Lord Jesus, please have mercy on Julia and bring her relief -- a relief that now appears to be nearly beyond the possibility of medical science.

Prayer request

Please pray for the repose of the soul of a Polish Catholic priest in Queens, NY, who died at an unexpectedly early age - call him "Fr. Z" (not Zuhlsdorf).

Also pleas pray for a very serious special intention for my son, Nathaniel.

Kind regards in our Lord and Lady, PB

Prayer requests

Please pray for:

• Recovery: for Mike, the heart transplant patient, who was again on the road to recovery until this past week when he was infected with a respiratory virus.
• Safety: for our friends in NC, where two have already died in the state from incessant rainstorms, and they are expecting upwards of 12-18 more inches of rain in the next few days.
• Success: for a friend whose fascinating Catholic conversion story is being evaluated for publication.
• Healing: for Noriko, the sister of my deceased Japanese adopted brother, who is suffering from a recurrence of cancer.

Assumption Grotto family in need as mother AND father deal with cancer

(Source):

A GoFund Me account has been set up by a relative of Caroline DeLoca to help with expenses related to her recent diagnosis of cancer. This comes just a few years after her husband, Peter, battled a cancerous tumor in his leg. As Caroline faces her own battle now, with stage 3 breast cancer, there are concerns that Peter's cancer may have returned.

This beautiful pro-life family with five children and, baby number six getting close to third trimester, belongs to Assumption Grotto and is known to many of us. They have a loving, supportive family network. But, as you can imagine, financial needs are many.

You can use the GoFund Me account set up by Caroline's aunt OR you can give money to the family directly if you know them. Others who do not know them, please check back tonight or tomorrow and I will update this post with an alternate place to send checks so the family gets the money directly if that pans through.

Most of all, pray for this family.

Another prayer request

Please pray for a 43-year-old pregnant mother who has been married 18 years, has no children, and has had two miscarriages.  She is not five weeks pregnant and dearly hopes and prays for a "miraculous" safe and healthy delivery.  Thank you in advance for your intercessions for her.  Her name is Kelly.

Prayer request

Please pray for my Japanese "sister," Noriko, who is suffering from cancer, undergoing radical chemo therapy and expecting surgery thereafter. She is the sister of my deceased adopted Japanese brother, Yoshiro ("Thomas"), whom we met for the first time during my sabbatical in Japan last September, with her brother and other sister.

There is no Christian faith in her family background. Like most Japanese, their lives are largely secularized, with bits of Buddhism and Shintoism in their ancestry. I see an opportunity for God's grace here, and I've told her and her family that we will be praying for her healing. Please of your kindness, assist me in these intercessions.

Eye surgery

My eye surgery this morning seems to have gone without a hitch, for which I am exceedingly grateful. I must wait until tomorrow, however, to have my pirate-like eye patch removed and see whether the surgery was successful in restoring my vision. Thanks for all your prayers. Kind regards in our Lord and Lady, PP

Prayer request

Please pray for me. I will be undergoing eye surgery Monday (tomorrow).